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PARTIES INVOLVED: Tredero
ALLEGATIONS: Perjury, Fraud, Impersonation
INCIDENT DATE: 14 Aug 2024
INVESTIGATED BY: Ethan Katz
TOOLS USED: Lumen, FakeDMCA, SecurityTrails
CASE NO: 4041/A/2024
CRIME TYPE: Intellectual Property Scam
PUBLISHED ON: 27 Nov 2024
REPORTED BY: FakeDMCA.com
JURISDICTION: USA
A summary of what happened?
Tredero is a forex and CFD broker headquartered in Mauritius, offering trading services across various financial instruments, including forex, commodities, indices, and precious metals. The broker provides multiple account types with varying minimum deposits and leverage options, utilizing platforms like MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and WebTrader.
Major Concerns and Complaints Against Tredero:
- Regulatory Status:
- Tredero is authorized by the Mauritius Financial Services Commission (FSC) under license number GB20025316. However, the Mauritius FSC is considered a less stringent regulator compared to top-tier authorities like the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This raises concerns about the level of investor protection and oversight provided.
- Transparency Issues:
- The Mauritius FSC does not provide the registered domains of licensed entities, making it unclear if Tredero is genuinely operated by the license holder, Oneprime Ltd. This lack of transparency can be problematic for investors seeking to verify the legitimacy of the broker.
- Customer Support and Service:
- While some users have praised Tredero’s customer support for responsiveness, others have reported issues with the quality of assistance provided. In certain cases, customer support was found to have limited knowledge, which could hinder effective problem resolution.
- Deposit and Withdrawal Processes:
- Tredero offers multiple methods for deposits and withdrawals, including bank transfers, credit cards, and cryptocurrencies. However, some users have expressed a desire for more options to facilitate these transactions. Additionally, while the broker claims to process withdrawals at no cost, it’s recommended to verify this information directly with their customer service, as policies may change over time.
- Trading Conditions:
- The broker offers variable spreads and high leverage up to 1:500, which can be attractive to traders. However, high leverage also increases the potential for significant losses, especially for inexperienced traders. It’s crucial for investors to understand the risks associated with high-leverage trading.
Conclusion:
While Tredero provides a range of trading services and platforms, potential investors should exercise caution due to concerns about its regulatory status, transparency, and customer support quality. It’s advisable to conduct thorough research and consider brokers regulated by more stringent authorities to ensure a higher level of investor protection.
Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)
Our team collects and analyses fraudulent copyright takedown requests, legal complaints, and other efforts to remove critical information from the internet. Through our investigative reporting, we examine the prevalence and operation of an organized censorship industry, predominantly funded by criminal entities, oligarchs, and disreputable businesses or individuals. Our findings allow internet users to gain insight into these censorship schemes’ sources, methods, and underlying objectives.
Number of Fake DMCA Notice(s) |
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Lumen Database Notice(s) | |
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Fake Link(s) Used by Scammers | |
Original Link(s) Targeted |
What was Tredero trying to hide?
Tredero‘s attempts to hide unfavourable content through the misuse of copyright notices while allegedly engaging in perjury present serious legal concerns. These actions suggest a calculated attempt to manipulate legal systems to suppress free speech, a fundamental violation of copyright law principles and an abuse of legal processes. The use of such tactics not only undermines the integrity of copyright protection but also potentially constitutes perjury, further entangling Tredero in legal accountability. Let’s examine the information Tredero may be trying to remove from the internet –
Investigative Report: Examining Tredero – Allegations, Concerns, and Negative Feedback
Introduction
Tredero is a Mauritius-based forex and CFD broker offering trading services across various financial instruments, including currencies, commodities, indices, and metals. Utilizing platforms like MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and WebTrader, Tredero markets itself as a versatile and user-friendly broker catering to traders with different experience levels. However, concerns have emerged about its regulatory status, transparency, customer service quality, and trading conditions. This in-depth investigation analyzes these issues, shedding light on the controversies surrounding Tredero.
1. Regulatory and Licensing Concerns
1.1. Mauritius Financial Services Commission (FSC) Licensing
- Regulatory Authority:
- Tredero is licensed by the Mauritius FSC under license number GB20025316. While this may suggest compliance with local regulations, the Mauritius FSC is regarded as a lower-tier regulator compared to globally recognized authorities such as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
- Lower-tier regulatory bodies often lack stringent oversight, raising concerns about investor protection and the enforcement of fair trading practices.
- Implications for Traders:
- Investors working with brokers under lower-tier regulators face heightened risks, as such regulators may not enforce strict client fund segregation, transparency requirements, or prompt dispute resolution mechanisms.
1.2. Transparency Issues
- Operator Ambiguity:
- The Mauritius FSC does not list the registered domains for licensed entities, making it challenging for traders to verify whether Tredero is genuinely operated by the license holder, Oneprime Ltd.
- Such opacity undermines trust, particularly in an industry where transparency is paramount for investor confidence.
- Potential for Misrepresentation:
- The lack of accessible verification tools raises concerns that the broker could misuse its licensing claims, potentially misleading customers about its legitimacy.
2. Customer Service and Support Challenges
2.1. Mixed User Experiences
Tredero offers customer support through email, live chat, and phone. While some clients have praised the responsiveness of its support team, others have raised concerns about:
- Limited Knowledge: Complaints highlight that some support representatives lack the technical expertise required to resolve complex issues.
- Delayed Responses: Several reviews report delays in receiving assistance, especially during high trading activity periods.
2.2. Impact on Traders
- Trust Erosion: Inconsistent support quality creates frustration among traders, particularly those who depend on timely assistance for real-time trading decisions.
- Potential Losses: Delays or inadequate resolutions can result in financial losses for clients who rely on immediate interventions to manage trades or withdrawals.
3. Deposit and Withdrawal Processes
3.1. Limited Payment Methods
Tredero offers deposit and withdrawal options via bank transfers, credit cards, and cryptocurrencies. While these options cover basic needs, some traders have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of additional methods, such as e-wallets or regional payment systems, which could enhance convenience.
3.2. Complaints About Withdrawal Delays
- Reported Issues:
- Some users have reported delays in processing withdrawals, despite the broker’s claims of quick and cost-free transactions.
- Traders have raised concerns about unclear withdrawal policies, particularly regarding processing times and potential hidden fees.
- Impact on User Confidence:
- Withdrawal difficulties are a critical red flag in the trading industry, as they directly affect traders’ ability to access their funds. Such issues significantly damage the broker’s credibility.
4. Trading Conditions and Risk Factors
4.1. High Leverage Offerings
- Attractive but Risky:
- Tredero provides leverage up to 1:500, which can amplify profits for experienced traders. However, it also significantly increases potential losses, particularly for novice traders unfamiliar with leveraged trading.
- Regulatory Disparities:
- Many top-tier regulators impose strict caps on leverage (e.g., 1:30 in the EU and 1:50 in the U.S.) to protect traders from excessive risk. Tredero’s high leverage offerings are unrestricted due to its offshore status, exposing traders to potentially devastating losses.
4.2. Limited Range of Tradable Instruments
- Scope of Offerings:
- With approximately 100 tradable instruments, Tredero’s portfolio is considered limited compared to industry leaders offering thousands of assets, including niche markets and innovative financial products.
- Customer Feedback:
- Advanced traders seeking diverse investment opportunities have criticized the broker for its restricted range, limiting their ability to diversify portfolios effectively.
5. User Reviews and Public Perception
5.1. Negative Feedback
- Transparency Issues:
- Many reviews question the broker’s transparency, particularly regarding its regulatory standing and operational practices.
- Service Quality:
- Common complaints include subpar customer service and issues with deposit and withdrawal processes.
5.2. Positive Feedback
- Affordability:
- Tredero’s low minimum deposit requirement ($10) and access to popular trading platforms like MT5 have received praise, particularly from beginner traders.
- Customer Support Responsiveness:
- A segment of users has acknowledged the broker’s 24/7 customer service availability, citing prompt responses to basic inquiries.
6. Broader Industry Implications
6.1. Risks of Offshore Brokers
Tredero’s case highlights broader concerns about offshore brokers operating in lightly regulated jurisdictions:
- Lack of Oversight: Weak regulatory frameworks often fail to hold brokers accountable, leaving traders vulnerable to unethical practices.
- Reduced Protections: Offshore brokers are not typically required to participate in compensation schemes or provide fund security assurances.
6.2. Need for Enhanced Due Diligence
The concerns raised about Tredero underscore the importance of conducting thorough research before engaging with any broker. Traders are advised to prioritize brokers regulated by stringent authorities and to verify all claims of licensing and operational legitimacy.
Conclusion
Tredero’s offerings appeal to a segment of traders due to its low entry requirements and popular trading platforms. However, the broker’s regulatory status, transparency issues, and customer service inconsistencies raise significant concerns. Complaints about withdrawal delays and limited trading instruments further detract from its credibility.
Prospective traders should exercise caution when considering Tredero as a broker, weighing the potential benefits against the risks associated with its offshore operations. For those seeking greater transparency, robust regulatory oversight, and comprehensive services, alternative brokers regulated by top-tier authorities are recommended. Tredero’s case serves as a reminder of the critical need for diligence and caution in the high-stakes world of online trading.
How do we counteract this malpractice?
Once we ascertain the involvement of Tredero (or actors working on behalf of Tredero), we will inform Tredero of our findings via Electronic Mail.
Our preliminary assessment suggests that Tredero may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from Tredero, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to Tredero to provide details regarding their communications with the agency or expert, as well as the identification of the individual(s) responsible for executing these false DMCA notices.
Failure to respond in a timely manner will necessitate a reassessment of our initial assumptions. In such an event, we will be compelled to take appropriate legal action to rectify the unlawful conduct and take the following steps –
Since Tredero made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and sensitive information targeted online by these events get a lot more exposure and traffic than what it would have received originally
We hope this becomes an excellent case study for the Streisand effect…The key idea behind the Streisand effect is that efforts to restrict information can backfire, often causing the information to gain more attention than it would have otherwise. This effect is widespread in the digital age, where users quickly notice and spread censorship efforts on social media and other platforms. Trying to suppress something can unintentionally lead to it becoming more visible, which Tredero is finding out the hard way.
Potential Consequences for Tredero
Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries “legal efficacy” with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.
Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also include passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states in the US, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.
Additionally, under most laws, “fraud on the court” is where “a party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system’s ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing party’s claim or defense.” Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)).
Is Tredero Committing a Cyber Crime?
Yes, it seems so. Tredero used multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites and Google’s search results. Thanks to protections allowing freedom of speech in the United States, there are very few legal ways to do this. Tredero could not eliminate negative reviews or search results that linked to them without a valid claim of defamation, copyright infringement, or some other clear breach of the law.
Faced with these limitations, some companies like Tredero have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.
Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. Tredero is certainly keeping interesting company here….
The DMCA takedown process requires that copyright owners submit a takedown notice to an ISP identifying the allegedly infringing content and declaring, under penalty of perjury, that they have a good faith belief that the content is infringing. The ISP must then promptly remove or disable access to the content. The alleged infringer can then submit a counter-notice, and if the copyright owner does not take legal action within 10 to 14 days, the ISP can restore the content.
Since these platforms are predominantly based in the U.S., the complaints are typically made under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires online service providers and platforms to react immediately to reports or violations. Big Tech companies rarely have systems in place to assess the merit of each report. Instead, all bad actors need to do is clone a story, backdate it, and then demand the real thing be taken down.
Reputation Agency's Modus Operandi
The fake DMCA notices we found always use the “back-dated article” technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a “true original” article and back-dates it, creating a “fake original” article (a copy of the true original) that, at first glance, appears to have been published before the true original.
Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the “original,” the scammers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers (e.g. Google), alleging that the ‘true’ original is the copied or “infringing” article and that the copied article is the “original,” requesting the takedown of the ‘true’ original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesn’t stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, the disappearance from the internet of information is most likely to be legitimate speech.
As an integral part of this scheme, the ‘reputation management’ company hired by Tredero creates a website that purports to be a ‘news’ site. This site is designed to look legitimate at a glance, but any degree of scrutiny reveals it as the charade it is.
The company copies the ‘negative’ content and posts it “on the fake ‘news’ site, attributing it to a separate author,” then gives it “a false publication date on the ‘news’ website that predated the original publication.
The reputation company then sent Google a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice claiming the original website infringed copyright. After a cursory examination of the fake news site, Google frequently accepts the notice and delists the content.
In committing numerous offences, Tredero either premeditated actions or were unaware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about Tredero, ignorance does not excuse this wrongdoing.
Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. FSMSmart is certainly keeping interesting company here.
The Reputation Laundering
Rogue Reputation agencies use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking clients to allegations of tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking. Most of these reputation agencies are based offshore, mainly in Russia, India, and Eastern Europe, and they do not worry about complying with US-based laws.
The content in all of the articles for which the fraudulent DMCA notices have been sent relates to allegations of criminal allegations, including corruption, child abuse, sexual harassment, human trafficking and financial fraud against businesses and individuals with ultra-high net worth.
In addition to the misuse of the DMCA takedown process, there is a notable absence of enforcement concerning perjury violations. The statutory requirement related to perjury is designed to deter copyright holders from submitting fraudulent or knowingly false takedown requests, as they may face legal consequences for making false declarations under penalty of perjury. However, to date, there have been no known instances of any individual being prosecuted for perjury in connection with the submission of false DMCA takedown notices.
This lack of enforcement has emboldened copyright holders to exploit the DMCA takedown process to suppress dissent, criticism, or other unfavorable content, without fear of legal repercussions.
Some of the people and businesses who have employed this tactic to remove legitimate content from Google illegally include a Spanish businessman-turned-cocaine-trafficker, Organised crime, an Israeli-Argentine banker accused of laundering money for Hugo Chávez’s regime, a French “responsible” mining company accused of tax evasion, child molesters and sexual predators. Tredero is in great company ….
What else is Tredero hiding?
We encourage you to ‘Dork‘ Google by searching for keyword combinations such as [Tredero] + {Negative Keyword, such as Scam, Fraud, Complaints, Lawsuit, Sanction, etc} on Google. It’s likely if you scroll down to the bottom of this Google search results, you’ll stumble upon this Legal Takedown notice (pictured below)
To make such an investigation possible, we encourage more online service providers to come forward and share copies of content removal requests with industry experts and researchers. If you have any information on Tredero that you want to share with experts and journalists, kindly email the author directly at [email protected].
All communications are strictly confidential and safeguarded under a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy, ensuring full protection and anonymity for individuals who provide information.
Credits and Acknowledgement
Many thanks to FakeDMCA.com and Lumen for providing access to their database.
Photos and Illustrations provided by DALL-E 3 – “a representation of Tredero censoring the internet and committing cyber crimes.”
- We’ve reached out to Tredero for a comment or rebuttal regarding this investigation. It will strongly suggest they were behind the takedown attempt if they remain silent.
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- Our investigative report on Tredero‘s efforts to suppress online speech is significant, as it raises serious concerns about its integrity. The findings suggest that Tredero has engaged in questionable practices, including potential perjury, impersonation, and fraud, in a misguided attempt to manage or salvage its reputation.
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- We intend to file a counternotice to reinstate the removed article(s). While this particular instance is relatively straightforward, it is important to note that, in other cases, the overwhelming volume of automated DMCA takedown notices can significantly hinder the ability of affected parties to respond—especially for those not large media organizations.
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- You need an account with fakeDMCA.com and Lumen to access the research data. However, accounts are not widely available since these non-profit organisations manage large databases that could be susceptible to misuse. Nevertheless, they do offer access to non-profits and researchers.
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- It’s unclear why U.S. authorities have yet to act against these rogue reputation agencies, whose business model seems rooted in fraudulent practices.
- We’ve reached out to Tredero for a comment or rebuttal regarding this investigation. It will strongly suggest they were behind the takedown attempt if they remain silent.
About the Author
The author is affiliated with Harvard University and serves as a researcher at both Lumen and FakeDMCA.com. In his personal capacity, he and his team have been actively investigating and reporting on organized crime related to fraudulent copyright takedown schemes. Additionally, his team provides advisory services to major law firms and is frequently consulted on matters pertaining to intellectual property law. He can be reached at [email protected] directly.
References used for this investigation
- 1
- https://www.brokersview.com/brokers/tredero
- 20/10/2023
- Review
- 3
- https://www.wikifx.com/en/dealer/1082006428.html
- 21/07/2023
- Adverse Media
- 4
- https://lumendatabase.org/notices/43800331
- 14/08/2024
- Other
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by: Charlotte Brown
TOTAL SCAM! They sign you up without your consent and bombard you with nonstop calls from different numbers. Do not provide them with any personal information.
by: Ethan Mitchell
When I deposited the initial amount, I was getting calls constantly. After the deposit, the calls stopped, and I lost all my money as trades went against me. The person helping me promised to recover my losses but now avoids...
by: Olivia Green
I’ve created an account with Tredero and lost deposited. I’m nervous about moving forward, as I’m scared of being frauded.